to be supported by anyone. And justthink how much you’d enjoy having three little ones in the house.”
“I would,” Lucy said, her voice filled with longing. “It’s a dream for me.”
“And you really can’t imagine me being as good a mother as you,” Clove said. “The truth is, you’re suited to be a mother, and I’m not. Oh, maybe for one, but three? It would be a disaster.”
“I—I’ll have to talk to Robert, naturally. He did mention adoption at one point, then sort of lost interest in that idea…and they are your children. Your angels. You would forever be the true mum. And I don’t know about Robert, dear. He sort of…sort of loses interest in things these days.”
Sort of losing interest in Lucy. Clove didn’t have to hear the words to know them to be the worry on Lucy’s mind. “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ll be home soon.”
“I’ll start decorating the nursery!” Lucy began sobbing. “Clove, this is wonderful, a dream come true. I mean, I hope you’re happy. You’re quite sure this man doesn’t love you? I will be quite happy to come over there and exert sisterly pressure on him if you would like me to. He should know that you are not some alone-in-the-world girl he can take advantage of.”
“He does not love me, and I do not love him,” Clove said with authority. “Trust me on this. We both understand that it was a one-night thing.” It wasn’t worth mentioning that Archer was asleep in her bed right now, determined to throw a wrench into The Plan. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. Lucy and Clovehad been there for each other when there was no one else. The sisterly bond between them was stronger than everything. She wasn’t about to let Lucy down. “I love you,” she told her older sister.
“You can never love me as much as I love you,” Lucy replied, just as she always did. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be right there.”
“I will.”
They said their goodbyes and then Clove hung up, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. She closed her eyes and put a hand on her stomach. “You are the luckiest children in the world,” she whispered. “You angels are going to have a beautiful mother, a physician father, a lovely home, and me devoted to your every smile, your every tear.”
“Those angels will also have me,” Archer interrupted.
Clove’s eyes flew open. Archer walked into the kitchen, crossing his arms as he stared down at her. “Let’s review the roll call. I think I heard some errors in the lineup.”
Clove stared at him, her heart pounding.
“Let’s see,” he said, holding up a finger, “first there’s the beautiful mother, which naturally is you.”
She blinked.
“Then there’s the physician father. I’m not a physician. I’m a cowboy, third generation, Texas-born. So one of us is confused. You never mentioned that those were not my children, so that leaves us with a gap in the family history. When did I become a doctor? And what’s my specialty?”
Her throat closed. She couldn’t speak.
“What is my little Aussie stuntwoman up to now?” He pulled her into his arms, giving her a deep kiss. “Just as good as I remembered the first time,” he said when he pulled away.
“Don’t,” she said sharply, whirling away from him.
“We should kiss more often,” he said, “since we’re getting to know each other for the sake of the children.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” she said, going to open a bag of flour.
“Clove.” He turned her toward him, trying to take the flour from her. “If I understood what you were saying on the phone, the answer is no. You are not giving my children to your sister.”
She tugged the flour proprietorially and it dropped to the floor, sending a great white pouf into the air. For a reason she would never understand, Clove burst into tears.
“Yegods,” Archer said, “it’s only flour, baby.”
Wiping her eyes, she managed to get flour everywhere. “You don’t
“I would,” Lucy said, her voice filled with longing. “It’s a dream for me.”
“And you really can’t imagine me being as good a mother as you,” Clove said. “The truth is, you’re suited to be a mother, and I’m not. Oh, maybe for one, but three? It would be a disaster.”
“I—I’ll have to talk to Robert, naturally. He did mention adoption at one point, then sort of lost interest in that idea…and they are your children. Your angels. You would forever be the true mum. And I don’t know about Robert, dear. He sort of…sort of loses interest in things these days.”
Sort of losing interest in Lucy. Clove didn’t have to hear the words to know them to be the worry on Lucy’s mind. “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ll be home soon.”
“I’ll start decorating the nursery!” Lucy began sobbing. “Clove, this is wonderful, a dream come true. I mean, I hope you’re happy. You’re quite sure this man doesn’t love you? I will be quite happy to come over there and exert sisterly pressure on him if you would like me to. He should know that you are not some alone-in-the-world girl he can take advantage of.”
“He does not love me, and I do not love him,” Clove said with authority. “Trust me on this. We both understand that it was a one-night thing.” It wasn’t worth mentioning that Archer was asleep in her bed right now, determined to throw a wrench into The Plan. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. Lucy and Clovehad been there for each other when there was no one else. The sisterly bond between them was stronger than everything. She wasn’t about to let Lucy down. “I love you,” she told her older sister.
“You can never love me as much as I love you,” Lucy replied, just as she always did. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll be right there.”
“I will.”
They said their goodbyes and then Clove hung up, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. She closed her eyes and put a hand on her stomach. “You are the luckiest children in the world,” she whispered. “You angels are going to have a beautiful mother, a physician father, a lovely home, and me devoted to your every smile, your every tear.”
“Those angels will also have me,” Archer interrupted.
Clove’s eyes flew open. Archer walked into the kitchen, crossing his arms as he stared down at her. “Let’s review the roll call. I think I heard some errors in the lineup.”
Clove stared at him, her heart pounding.
“Let’s see,” he said, holding up a finger, “first there’s the beautiful mother, which naturally is you.”
She blinked.
“Then there’s the physician father. I’m not a physician. I’m a cowboy, third generation, Texas-born. So one of us is confused. You never mentioned that those were not my children, so that leaves us with a gap in the family history. When did I become a doctor? And what’s my specialty?”
Her throat closed. She couldn’t speak.
“What is my little Aussie stuntwoman up to now?” He pulled her into his arms, giving her a deep kiss. “Just as good as I remembered the first time,” he said when he pulled away.
“Don’t,” she said sharply, whirling away from him.
“We should kiss more often,” he said, “since we’re getting to know each other for the sake of the children.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” she said, going to open a bag of flour.
“Clove.” He turned her toward him, trying to take the flour from her. “If I understood what you were saying on the phone, the answer is no. You are not giving my children to your sister.”
She tugged the flour proprietorially and it dropped to the floor, sending a great white pouf into the air. For a reason she would never understand, Clove burst into tears.
“Yegods,” Archer said, “it’s only flour, baby.”
Wiping her eyes, she managed to get flour everywhere. “You don’t
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